


Pie as a convenient excuse to make an apology

by Loyal_Royal_Panda



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Awkward Crush, Awkwardness, Baking, Chance Meetings, Conversations, F/M, Forgiveness, Grocery Shopping, Shopping, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 04:18:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9962468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loyal_Royal_Panda/pseuds/Loyal_Royal_Panda
Summary: Sharla wanted to make a pie for the children at her school, but she doesn't know how to bake. Gideon had an order to fill, but he ran out of eggs. A bumpy meeting at a market ends with them going to her house and both realizes they both have issues they would rather not talk about.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for emma89uk on tumblr, thanks for the exercise!

Sharla woke from sleep, groggy, for the second time. The first time she set a movie on her phone to lull her back to sleep. It was the weekend, nothing to do but restock on groceries. She got up from her bed, throwing the sheets she had used to wrap herself in like some sort of sheep burrito. She walked down the stairs in her night gown to the kitchen, passing by her brother and giving him the morning greetings. His attention was on the television. More news from Zootopia. More news on the “Savage crisis” as it was dubbed. As she made them both breakfast her brother's voice woke her even more.

“Judy was on the news again.” She could guess what it was about. “N'other protest?” Gareth gave her a yes. She walked over with two plates of grass and clovers, and made a return trip to get drinks. “She got her work cut out for her.” She said as she sat down. “I feel bad for her.” Spoke Gareth. “She's a cop for little more than half a year and now she's in the middle of a horrible crisis.” Sharla gave a sigh. “She came back to bunnyburrow you know? She don't even text me anymore. She must be swamped in paperwork. Or something.” Gareth changed the channel to cartoons. “Lets just take the day and not think about it for now.” Her turned to his sister and opened his arms in invitation, beckoning his sister to his comforting woolly embrace. She smiled and moved to hug him.

Until she hit her face on the broad side of his horn. If their was one thing Sharla had to say for certain of her brother, it was that his shoulder width horns made it hard to rest her head on his shoulder. The lambs of Bunnyburrow were always smitten with the impressive double curled set he had on his head. As his sister, she hated them. “Sorry.” Said Gareth, with an amused chuckle. They turned to a talk show and let time pass. An hour of doing nothing ended when he went back home and she left to get more food. Thinking she could try her hoof at pie again...and not burn them this time.

Gideon felt refreshed waking up, despite his nightmare. But it didn't lighten his mood. Last night after finishing up his samples for Mr H he made the mistake of watching the news. Melancholy was an easy trap for him to fall into. Especially with recent events. On the news was his first look at a savage predator. Nothing that could reason could be seen in the eyes of the bear that the ZPD caught. She just stared off in confusion as the tranquilizers took effect. Like nothing on the world was recognizable.

In his dream he was in her place. But he snarled. Screamed. Frothed at the shapes of the mammals that grabbed at him Before he was taken away forever.

He shook his head, and made his way to the bathroom. After completing his morning rituals he left to his kitchen. The donuts, jellos and other sweets crowding his oven and countertops. Giving them a inspection, he felt satisfied. Gideon was glad he found his calling in life. He spent a long time without any direction, he was glad he had a talent he could market. If I don't lose my mind that is. A stray thought peeped in his head. He groaned. And checked the list of things that Mr H had ordered to take his mind off the news and the nightmare, only to groan again when he saw that he never made the pies, and he was out of eggs. He'll need to go to the store, but he figured on the way he could restock on ingredients.

Turning on the television was another mistake. Instantly on the screen was on the news. Another protest, a celebrity giving her two cents. And a anti-predator rhetoric being spouted. And he also noticed the small grey rabbit. If only he could say he was sorry, if only he was smart enough to not bribe mammals with food to not hate him. Years of being the bad guy came back to him. Judy. Sharla. Her brother. No amount of pastries could make up for what he did to them. It made his gut churn. Melancholy. “Just focus on the positive Gidd. You own yer own business.”Turning to more entertaining cartoons, he let himself relax a bit before going to get what was needed. Tomorrow he could practice his apology speech. And if they still hated him, he could at least say he tried.

Sharla walked through the aisles of the market place. Flower, check. Snacks, check. Microwave pizzas and meals, she decided to put half of them back, concerned for her brothers growing belly, and her own. She could see some of the Hopps clan that she recognized from her visits to Judy's...expansive home, giving them courteous waves and greetings. As she made her way she notice how rare predators were in Bunnyburrow. The last time she saw Bobby Catmaul and Jaguar was a month ago. And they seemed to make themselves scarce after the Savage Crisis started. Once again her mood soured. “Eggs. Just think about the eggs you need.” She was relieved to see the freezer section. As she made her way along the cold shelfs with a hoof digit, she bumped into something soft, yet firm, and fell onto her back spilling the contents of her shopping bag. Several wet cracking sounds filled the air as a masculine voice as thick as molasses made itself known. “Ah Shoot I'm sorry I didn't se-” The male stopped. Before she saw his face, from the thick accent alone she could tell who it was. But actually seeing him after almost ten odd years was a whole different story. The orange red fur that was darker and parted on his head. His fat gut. The peek of his...chest though the pink flannel shirt. And a faint memory of her having a crush on him in their youth. “Uh...” Was the only thing that escaped her mouth as she looked upon the tormentor of her youth. Gideon looked confused, maybe he didn't recognize her.

“Sharla?”

Shoot.

Gideon's forgot about his shattered eggs the moment he saw the black ewes face. He said her name on instinct, so he couldn't even pretend to not recognize her. His thoughts turned to chaos trying to come up with a way to escape the situation without just running off. “Gideon Grey?” She said, as if trying to confirm what was in front of her. The effect of hearing his name snapped him out of his frantic thoughts. Seeing her again made his heart race. Maybe she was still afraid. Or she still hated him. Remembering how much he hurt her made his ears lower. He once told his pa he liked her, and his pa did not take that well. So whenever she was to close to him he did his best to make her go away. He reached out a paw to help her up but something mixed up in his head again and he simply stammered like an idiot as he reached to gather her things for her. “Ah-ah-I-I-Im sorry! I was-uh-ch-checking my eggs a-and-I wasn't looking and...uh.” He trailed off as he looked back to her. Sharla's face went from surprised with a bit of fear to flat out confusion. She grew up. She still looked pretty.

Sharla was not expecting Gideon Grey of all mammals to act like a stuttering teenager before prom night. But he did drop out of school so maybe he was a teen trapped in an adult's body. She regretted that thought, he was gathering her items for her, a far cry from the bully who took her lunch when he was having a bad day. Which if the rumors about his life growing up were true, was everyday. So she apologized in her own indirect way. “I-it's fine, I wasn't looking either.” She sat on her knees and assisted him. He chuffed a short laugh “I guess both of us got a part to blame for this.” She agreed with him. They continued gathering her things up until their paws touched grabbing at a small bag of flour. She felt her warmth spike, and looked up at his face. Gone was the malicious smile or angry scowl that she saw so many times, instead they were replaced by an expression that said he was afraid. He grew up. He was more mature. And once again her eyes drifted to the unbutton part of his shirt. She remembered her crush on him. She was nine, and foolishly thought she could change him. She gave up when he began to target her. Now? Now she really felt like she was staring at his chest.

Gideon noticed she had a hard time looking him in the eyes. He inwardly sighed. She was definitely still afraid. She cleared her throat and seemed to will herself to look at him. Despite his shame at being the source of her fear he thought she looked beautiful with her black wool. Nicely cut, clean and definitely better looking than his fur. “So, uh...” He needed to take his mind of her looks, it was inappropriate for a man to stare. “What are you doing here?” He smiled. Talking to her will help ease her fear. “I'm just here grabbing some ingredients for some pies that Mr. H-uh, Mr Hopps ordered.” Sharla's eyes widened. “I was here for the same reason, I wanted to make a pie...and not ruin it this time.” Gideon's own anxiety seemed to vanish, he felt relived that they had a thing in common. Thank goodness for coincidences. “No kiddin! I know pies in and out. Glazed, creamed, stuffed-” He was interrupted by her snickering.

Sharla was taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm for pie. Ten years must give allot of time for interests to change. The thought made her snicker that the Terror of Bunnyburrow had an interest in baking, and how suggestively he was wording it. He stopped when he noticed her holding in laughter. 

She was laughing. That was good! Why she was laughing was something else to figure out. “What?” He asked with a confused smile. “Its nothing, its just, “In and out. Glazed and creamed.” He didn't get it. “What are ya talking about? Ya glaze pies, you can cream them-oh yes, innuendo, clever.” They shared a laugh, both sides feeling calmer than before.

Sharla was amazed how bashful Gideon seemed. And he claimed to know pies. Maybe enough to help her own abysmal baking skills. “So Gideon.” She said. Suddenly filled with trepidation. Was she really contemplating letting a predator into her home. Especially with what's been occurring of late? “I know you're busy, making pies and all. But...I was wondering...” She held her hoofs in the air gesturing. “If you...” She took a breath and steeled herself. Shyly looking away. “By chance had the time to help me cook a pie for the kids at school” When she looked back up Gideon seemed to be in debate.

This was bad. And also good. He could apologize to her where she might feel safest. But he had no idea how. His slow mind was backfiring on him. Trying to apologize could make things worse. She might not be so accepting as she seemed. And he had no idea how to even try to start his apology. He looked back up. Sharla's face gave him a reassuring smile. Putting aside his fear, he resolved to just wing it. “Y-yeah. I got time. Just let me go get some more eggs.”

Sharla's home was a simple two story house, front porch, back yard. Nothing that out of place in the tri-burrows, and she seemed to love blue. After giving him a short tour of her living room showing of her television, star maps, and book collections on astronomy and various other sciences, he learned she had become a science teacher while waiting on her application to flight school. Gideon felt out of place, he was in the home of an intellectual who knew more about the world then he could ever fathom. But when she guided him into the kitchen he became relieved that he was in a domain where he was master. “So how's the kitchen?” she asked, as if it was substandard. She had three ovens so someone in this house must have loved baking. He asked her permission to gather what he needed from her cabinets and shelfs. “It's got everything darl-uh-sharla, vanilla, sugar, baking powder.” Before he even finished listed off everything else he already had a bowl and began mixing.

If Gideon could start measuring and mixing without a cookbook then either pies were his specialty or...“Gideon. Do-do you bake other things. Besides pies?” The smile Gideon Grey had unnerved her for a moment, mostly because it was coming from Gideon Grey of all mammals. She was still surprised by the new him. And surprised more by his answer. “Yup! When I...left school I took up baking. I kept at it and I became better and better. And now I own my own business.” He looked proud. But she felt that he had just avoided something. Thinking about him made her look at him, his own eyes on the mix. She watched him whisk the batter. His sleeves raised up too high, showing his thick furry arms, muscles moving under it. Why? She asked herself. Why did she have a crush on him in the first place?

Some girls like bad boys. Especially if they can reform. And the work was half done for her.

She needed a distraction. “Could you leave behind the recipe when you're done? I'll be in the living room.” He gave her a nod “Sure thing darling.” Sharla sat down on her couch. And took a breath. He probably doesn't feel that way about her. He was a pred, and the only fox left in bunnyburrow. Looking for something to take her mind further off things she turned on the TV and flipped through channels for an hour as Gideon baked...until the news came back on.

“-Attacked in their own home. This marks the fortieth predator to become savage. Family friend Mason Digs, a Tasmanian Devil, became savage while he was over to help the family move a TV set.” Sharla's stomach did flips. Ugly thoughts invading her mind as the reporter droned on. Thoughts of Gideon attacking her. Of him betraying his now kind and considerate self. That he was even possibly lying to her. Of her dying in his jaws.

No. went a thought in her head. He would not have gone through all the trouble just to do that. To just go mad...but that's what that family must have believed about their friend. She turned to look at him in the kitchen though the empty door frame, only to see him in it, his ears pulled down ever so slightly. A worried look on his face. His eyes on the TV.

Here it comes. He thought. Get out of my house. He imagined her say. “Uh.” He searched his mind for something to say. He'd rather not overstay his welcome. “Th-Their i-in the oven. I...set the timer.” She turned off the television. “Lets not think about that for now.” She took a breath. “Sit down.” she said, placing a hoof on a free cushion. Gideon swallowed, and did as he was told. After he found himself next to her she spoke again. “Why did you come here?” that was not exactly what he expected. “Y-you said you needed help with the pie, a-a-and I obliged.” Her brow creased. ”No. I mean, why did you really come here?”

He was scared and confused, he had trouble looking her in the eyes. He must not be used to opening up and making himself vulnerable to others she mused. But if he was making an effort the least she could do was listen. “I...wanted to apologize for everything id done to you.” He fiddled with his paws like a child shamefully admitting to stealing cookies. He looked adorable. She thought. It made her smile. Even more that he was truly regretful for all the things he did. But right now she needed answers. “What made you change?” He began to stammer and seemed to fall apart.. “W-well it was a-a-a few things and...uh...I...I...uh. I never had to talk about it like this.” she held a hoof up. “Take a breath and go as slowly as you like.”

He breathed. And then he spoke.

“A-after I...I dropped out I...got sent to therapy. As I...slowly opened up, I realized that I was, transferring my frustrations with myself and my home life onto targets that I found were...better than me. My ma and pa never got along so I acted out to keep the from fighting, and when that didn't work I got more violent. I told pa I...liked a pray and he reacted in the usual way.” Sharla took in everything he was saying. His eyes seemed to be lost somewhere else. “It them and us Gidd. Preds eat pray, why do ya think we got sharp teeth and claws? Why do ya think they make us the bad guy in storybooks?” He took a breath and swallowed. “And that's what I saw in the mirror, and I didn't know how to stop. So I acted like I was proud of it.”

Sharla spoke without thinking “So you had allot of self doubt, and it manifested as unchecked rage and aggression.” Gideon looked up at her. “Yeah, that sounds like it. But it don't excuse what I did.” The oven beeped, and she smiled. As they walked back to the kitchen she took notice of the sugary smell of fresh pies as he opened the oven retrieve them.“Well, these pies are a step in the right direction.” She was relieved to see him smile. “Well, baking is one thing I know how to do right.” He held up two packs. One carrot and the other strawberry “Pick your favorite glaze.”

As they sat on the couch and ate a pie or two she finally decided to address something they had both avoided. “So, how do you feel about this savage crisis.” Gideon thought it over for a moment. After finishing his slice he gave her his answer. “Its got me scared. They say none of them preds are getting better. I after I started seeing it more on the news, I got to thinking that I might one day just not be me anymore. That all that progress would just disappear and i'd be worse then I was.”

Sharla felt shame. “I never gave much thought to what predators must be going through. I mean. My god I have them in my classroom! And I just avoided it when the kids would ask me about it. I didn't want to think about it. It was easier to think of it as a problem for someone else. I'm...sorry Gideon.” He comforted her with a soft smile. “Thank you for that darling. It means allot.” She inched closer to him.

And they hugged.

He packed his pies. They said goodbye. Both of them wishing each other the best in the future. 

Gideon mentally checked Sharla off his list as he drove, feeling good that he apologized. But he needed to plan it out. Make a template for his apology. Sharla said it best. He needed to thank her for that.

He drove up to the stand to make his delivery. Bonnie and Stu waved him down. As he reached to unload the pies he heard the soft footsteps of rabbit feet, and smelled a female scent from downwind. He figured it was Bonnie until a voice made it to his ears. 

“Gideon Gray.” He turned to the unfamiliar voice. A gray rabbit in a sunhat stood before him. Faint scars on her cheek. The kind only he could make. “Well i'll be darned.”

“Hey Judy.”

This day is turning into an emotional roller coaster.


End file.
